In this post and video, we unpack why the best place to start isn’t a spec sheet or “product requirements document”. We discuss balancing the needs of product stakeholders without getting stuck in analysis paralysis. Whether you’re a founder, engineer, or product lead, this is about making progress with the right people in mind.

So you have an idea for a product but where do you start? When people come to us with a new product idea one of the first things they want to talk about is requirements. It seems to make sense. What should the product do, be made of, cost? If you look online you will find lots of information about a product requirements document.

But jumping straight into requirements is usually the wrong place to start. Instead, start with the user.

Who is the product for? What are they trying to do? What frustrates them with the solution they already have? This is where the field of business analysis comes in – it is about identifying the real needs, the real value, and the outcomes we’re trying to achieve with the product.

But the user isn’t the only stakeholder involved. You also need to consider manufacturers, regulators, distributors, or secondary users, like technicians who are installing the product or people who are repairing the product.

It can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to have all the answers up front. If you try to list every requirement the product has, you’ll spend months, sometimes even years, before you even get started. However, you need to make sure you’re asking the right questions and asking the important questions as early as possible. Just start small, make assumptions, test those assumptions, build something real and learn from it.

It’s all about progress over perfection. But in going through progress, you want to make sure you’re understanding user and stakeholder needs.